Since by Man

With Garrison, Christianson, and A Boy's Will. Thursday, May 1, at the Grog Shop.

Since by Man vocalist Sam Macon lays it out pretty well on his band's latest, We Sing the Body Electric, when he admonishes listeners to "Get in step with our soundtrack/Turn it up/Tear it down." The albumis a call to dance, aimed at hardcore fans whose record collections include the International Noise Conspiracy and At the Drive In, as well as Botch and Converge. Macon subtly alludes to leftist politics, but generally steers clear of oversimplified, pseudo-revolutionary battle cries; he knows his listeners have "heard this all before/An empty call just once more," as he sings.

Free of the clichéd sloganeering, Macon saves his energy for whipping fans into an ATDI-quality frenzy, singing in a bratty, distressed voice that complements the white-hot squeal unleashed by guitarists Kevin Herwig and Justin Kay. Before the material slides too far into chaos, Macon rips into a hoarse, pleading scream while the rhythm section switches into mosh mode and Herwig and Kay let loose impossibly tight, hooky riffs. It makes for a rump-shaking/fist-flailing dichotomy that draws a lot of head-scratching from typical metal-core crowds, and Macon is clearly cognizant of this. Though it could easily go unsaid, he says it anyway: "This is for those who know."